Doctor Zhivago

By: Boris Pasternak

Narrated by: Phillip Madoc

Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Translated by Max Hayward and Manya Harari. 

Banned in the Soviet Union until 1988, Doctor Zhivago is the epic story of the life and loves of a poet-physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Taking his family from Moscow to shelter in the Ural Mountains, Yuri Zhivago finds himself embroiled in a battle between the Whites and the Reds and in love with the beautiful nurse Lara. 

©2011 Boris Pasternak (P)2011 Random House Audio Go

A great tale

I read a lot of the great Russian authors in my student days but for some reason never read this, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how well written it is and how is the story of the tumultuous period between the wars

Incorrect translation

The audiobook is of the translation by Hayward and Harari, not the new vintage edition as advertised. It is important to be accurate as the translation is important to many readers.

Nonetheless this is an assured and moving reading.

The translation is not the one in the photo

I bought this in order to read along with my edition by Vintage, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, only to find that the photo is is completely misleading and it is a different translation. There seems to be no information about which translation this is.

Fantastic Love Story

What did you like most about Doctor Zhivago?

The Drama of the Piece was brillian

What did you like best about this story?

Just when you think its over, life changes in the most dramatic ways

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When he returns from the civil war

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was very romantic. I loved it.

Any additional comments?

It was also very good at giving a historical representation of Russia during the civil war. A must read if you are studying that period.

An epic of love and war

My favourite film of all time is Dr Zhivago with Julie Christie and Omar Sharif. I’ve always meant to read the original but the fat tome has sat on my bookshelves unread for decades, whereas this audio version has accompanied me as I do other things and the many hours have sped by. It’s a monumental work that tells the developing love story of Yuri and Lara against the backdrop of early 20th century Russian history.

I have to say that if I hadn’t seen the film recently I think I would have been lost among the numerous characters and locations with unfamiliar names. Even so there is a lot extra material in the book with side stories and, for me, a too many lengthy monologues on politics, theology and philosophical musings. Tolstoy’s War and Peace has the same propensity which may have influenced Pasternak.

For those who have seen the film and can visualize the scenes as you hear them described it’s a five start listen.

The narrator give a tour de force performance that enhanced the power of the book.

Be warned not the penguin edition

I am really disappointed as this is not the penguin edition of this book. Misleading as it shows the cover and the penguin logo.
Don’t buy if you are looking to read and listen at the same time.
Can’t return it but it’s not as advertised.

Beautiful, evocative writing.

I can’t do justice to this book in a few sentences, just wanted to mention that it has a few passages of nature-writing that I thought were beautiful, and other incidental descriptions that really helped with visualisation of a complex and often quite grim story. (The rats!) The narrator does a good job. My only comment is that the dialogue is not punctuated with much “he said / she said” so it can be difficult to work out who is speaking during the more abstract conversations. (I don’t know what the solution to this would be.)

Brilliant performance

This must have been one of Phillip Madoc's very last performances and was certainly his last major undertaking, and his voice gives Zhivago the depth, warmth and crisp frostiness it deserves. A great new translation and a wonderful performance.

Excellent reading

An excellent reading of this classic helped enormously by the translation.

I compare this version to the one read by Juliet Stevenson which was, frankly, turgid.

In love with this book

Have wanted to read this book for ages but never managed to find the time for this hefty novel. So glad I've listened to it. Such engaging narration and a gripping story. It takes a lot of concentration to understand the first chapter, all of the characters and what's going on. I suggest you look up summaries / sparknotes kind of thing while listening. This way for the first chapters while there is a lot of darting from place to place in the story you can make sure you understand everything properly.
I'm definitely going to buy the book now

Can only praise this book.

A stunning life story set in the Russian revolution. The author manages a wide cast of very believable characters as he flits effortlessly between the adorable, the deeply emotive, the violent and terrifying, and some of the most beautifully crafted scenery painting I have read.
The performer is marvelous. The way he smoothly slides between male and female characters makes it a joy to listen to. His range is excellent. Great job.
Pasternak stages coincidences through the book which were both wonderful and occasionally heartbreaking.
Saying all that it is long and starts densely. Some may find it hard to get into, my advice is to let it wash over you, and you will catch up as you go along. It is worth it.

Can't rate it high enough.